A Struggle for Authority: Government, Religion, and Hume’s Support for an Established Church.

Abstract: Through a comprehensive analysis of David Hume’s political writings, this thesis examines Hume’s support of an established church on the basis of its political utility for maintaining the authority of civil government. Hume argues that government’s most essential function is to provide for the safety of its people, but that in order to do so it must first have authority sufficient to sec... read moreure its own continued existence. Government’s authority rests not on force, but on the perceived self-interest and opinions of its people. Factions, which represent rival perceived interests and opinions, threaten government authority, and religious sects are among the most threatening factions of all. While many methods have been advocated to allay the detrimental political effects of religion, such as those of persecution and the institution of a separation of church and state, Hume suggests that only an established church can quell the flames of religious zeal and preserve government’s authority to rule. read less